ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol.
Sec. Biomechanics
Finite element and in vitro biomechanical analysis of a novel magnesium degradation-induced variable fixation plate
Jian Wen 1
Xingyu Wang 2
Zhe Wang 3
Yu Zeng 3
Xiaofan Chen 3
Xueqi Liu 4
Xieping Dong 5
1. Nanchang University Second Affiliated Hospital, Nanchang, China
2. Jiangxi Hospital of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Nanchang, China
3. Jiangxi Provincial People's Hospital, Nanchang, China
4. People's Hospital of Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, Yinchuan, China
5. Nanchang University, Nanchang, China
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Abstract
Abstract Background: Magnesium degradation-induced variable fixation plates (MVFPs) offer different fixation modes during fracture healing, but their biomechanical reliability is not well established. Materials and Methods: CT images of femurs from volunteers were used to build a model, and Abaqus software simulated deformation, stress, and relative displacement under various stress conditions. Mechanical tests including vertical loading, four-point bending, torsion, and fatigue were conducted using femur simulation models and suitable magnesium shims were screened. Results: Finite element analysis showed that under 700N vertical loading, MVFP exhibited 83-116% of the total deformation, 88-120% of the maximum stress, and 86-121% of the average relative displacement compared to locking plate (LP). Under 250N four-point bending, these were 76-186%, 73-183%, and 61-170%, respectively. Under 10Nm torsional moment, they were 102-109%, 114-118% (for implants), and 110-113%, respectively. In vitro biomechanical tests showed that MVFP had greater total and relative displacements but lower axial, four-point bending, and torsional stiffness (81.5%, 68.5%, and 63.9% of LP, respectively). Fatigue testing indicated both LP and MVFP samples endured 100,000 cycles of 700N vertical load without failure. The MVFP with a 0.5mm shim exhibited superior stiffness and offered greater space for elastic deformation compared to the 1mm shim. Conclusions: Although MVFP's stiffness slightly decreases compared to LP after shim degradation, it improves interfragmentary micromotion and reduces stress shielding while maintaining good fatigue resistance. MVFP with 0.5mm axial micromotion shows promise for further development and clinical application.
Summary
Keywords
Biomechanical, Finite Element Analysis, Magnesium, micromotion, Variable fixation plate
Received
24 December 2025
Accepted
20 February 2026
Copyright
© 2026 Wen, Wang, Wang, Zeng, Chen, Liu and Dong. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
*Correspondence: Xieping Dong
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